


Paradise Lost, Part II

by ginamc



Series: Star Trek: NX-01 (A Virtual Series) [2]
Category: Star Trek: Enterprise
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-25
Updated: 2015-10-25
Packaged: 2018-04-28 03:05:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,436
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5075365
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ginamc/pseuds/ginamc
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Season 5, Episode 2</p><p>Trip and T'Pol run into trouble on a would-be R & R trip. Discover who is behind their kidnapping. Can Archer and the crew find them before it's too late?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Paradise Lost, Part II

_**Tempasa City, Risa—Local Club  
January 24th, 2155—1312 hours** _

Malcolm, Travis, and Archer sat together at a table, drinking. The music blared so loudly that conversation was virtually impossible. Phlox and Hoshi had opted out, insisting that they would be just fine exploring the town.

"I've had enough!" Travis shouted over the music, covering his empty glass as the waitress moved to refill it.

"But you've only had one glass!" yelled Reed with a convivial grin. He was considerably more relaxed than Travis had ever seen him.

"With all due respect, sir, you don't want to see me drunk!" replied Travis jokingly.

Archer sighed. "I've hit my limit, too!" he admitted, pushing back his half empty glass.

"Apparently, neither of you have a very strong tolerance!" Reed remarked, tossing back the last of his drink and motioning for another.

Travis smirked. "Unlike you, Lieutenant, we don't drink on a regular basis!"

The level of noise in the club diminished as the music died down and patrons returned to their seats, conversing with their colleagues.

"You assume that just because I have a higher tolerance than all of you that I drink every night as soon as I'm off duty?" Reed feigned offense at the statement. "I'll have you know that tolerance to alcohol is a family trait. Just ask my mum. She's been known to down three pints and then proceed to church with no one the wiser." He raised his glass in a solemn toast to any woman capable of such a feat, and then tossed it back in one gulp and motioned for another, all at the same time.

Archer chuckled. "You know, Lieutenant, you have one hell of a sense of humor."

"Thank you, sir," Malcolm replied seriously as he threw back another shot.

Travis stared at one of the waitresses as she slid by, behind him. Once she was out of earshot, he turned back to the other two and smirked. "These women make the Orion women look like schoolgirls."

Archer covered his disagreement with a harsh cough. Reed looked curiously at him. "Shall I take that to mean you disagree?" Archer smiled, lifting his hands in the air defensively. Reed smirked. "Did you have an interesting experience with one of them, sir?"

Both Travis and Reed leaned in closer, hoping that Archer would share. The Captain's lips turned up slightly. "Let's just say I was very preoccupied while they were aboard and leave it at that."

The two laughed.

Archer chuckled. "I'm sure the two of you had some interesting experiences as well."

"I managed to come out of that situation unscathed and guilt-free, sir," Reed replied.

"I spent most of the time while they were on board doing strenuous workouts. It's something my dad and I did when we were dealing with the Deltans," said Travis.

Archer smiled. "I'll have to remember that. Does it work?"

Reed nodded in agreement. "Yes, sir. I've tried it. You get so bloody exhausted that you don't have the strength to think about anything but kipping."

Travis grinned and shrugged. "It worked for me, too."

Archer chuckled and raised his glass. "I'll keep that in mind." He paused. "To Enterprise. Long may she fly through the heavens."

"To Enterprise," Mayweather and Reed said in unison, raising their glasses.

As Archer took a drink of his beverage, his communicator beeped. The captain stood and made his way toward the entrance. Reed and Mayweather following. Once they were outside, Archer flipped open the communicator.

  **T'Pol to Archer.**

**Archer here. Everything okay?**

**Commander Tucker has sustained an injury that needs medical attention. I am returning him to _Enterprise_ and Doctor Phlox.**

Archer frowned, looking concerned. **What happened?**

Trip answered, not sounding very pleased. **I snagged my foot on a tree root, Cap'n, and broke my ankle.**

Reed and Travis covered their mouths, trying to conceal their laughter. Archer chuckled. **Only you, Trip, could break your ankle on a tree root.**

**Ha, ha, Jon. Hilarious.**

**Permission to return to _Enterprise_ , sir?** T'Pol repeated.

Archer chuckled. **Permission granted, T'Pol. Good luck.**

Once Archer had closed the communicator, the three of them burst out laughing. "How in the bloody hell did he snag his foot on a tree root?" choked Malcolm with tears of mirth in his eyes.

"Maybe Commander T'Pol is partly to blame, sir," Travis hinted.

"Ensign…" Archer began sternly.

***

**Enterprise— _Bridge  
January 24th, 2155—1823 hours_**

Wyatt sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose and closing her eyes. She'd managed to sneak in a two-hour nap before her shift started. Decker had departed ten minutes ago for his quarters, insisting that he needed sleep as well.

She frowned. It had been calm since the sensor ghost incident that morning. It was logical that the same ghost would reappear again once they'd made a complete orbit of the planet. Suddenly, she heard the tactical alert begin to screech. The implications of the warning caused her heart to race and her stomach to clench.

She paused. "Ensign Kelly?"

Kelly's brow furrowed. "We're picking up the ghost again, ma'am." The young ensign's fingers flew over the controls. "I lost it, but I think there's enough data this time to trace its origins."

Wyatt nodded. "Work with Lieutenant Carver to see if we can find out who these people are and what they want."

Kelly nodded and left the bridge with a data pad in hand, Carver following her.

***

**_Tempasa City, Risa—Outside of the Lornak Hotel  
January 24th, 2155—1924 hours_ **

"They haven't reported in for several hours, sir. Maybe something's happened to them," Hoshi added worriedly.

Archer nodded. "T'Pol would have let us know that she'd made it back."

"Sir, perhaps we should return to _Enterprise_ and begin searching for them…or at the very least, attempt to find some explanation of their current status," suggested Malcolm.

"Good idea, Lieutenant."

Hoshi frowned. "Maybe we should see if the shuttlepod is still where we left it. If it is, there's a good chance they've been taken prisoner."

Archer frowned. "But who would take them prisoner?"

She shrugged. "I'm sure we've made plenty of enemies during our travels, sir. Maybe one of them decided to exact their revenge by kidnapping the commanders."

Reed paused. "I agree that the shuttlepod would be an ideal place to begin our search, sir…if it's still there."

Archer nodded. "It's a good place to start. If we don't find them there, then we'll return to _Enterprise_ and continue searching with away teams. In the event that the shuttlepod is gone, then we'll have to run scans of nearby M-Class planets."

The others nodded and followed Archer as he made his way toward the last known destination of the shuttlepod.

***

**_Yvedra VI—Regalea Compound—Holding Cell 476Alpha  
January 25th, 2155—1025 hours_ **

Trip opened his eyes and rubbed the back of his head, wincing when his fingers slid over the bump there. He was really beginning to wish that he hadn't struggled so much during his interrogation.

An almost blinding light radiated into the dark, dank room, causing Trip to shield his eyes. A heavy object came out of nowhere and startled him when it landed in his lap. Trip noticed a sticky, wet substance on his fingers and shuddered as he realized what it was. Blood.

A deep laugh echoed throughout the cell, its menacing tone causing Trip to shiver. "Perhaps next time you will not struggle so much, Vulcan."

 _T'Pol!_ his mind screamed. The door slammed shut and once again it was pitch dark. Trip gathered the Vulcan's small, muscular body in his arms and brought her up so that her head lay on his chest. She began to stir in the blackness.

"Are you all right?" he whispered. He felt a pang of concern, the wet, stickiness of his fingers reminding him of her potential injuries.

"I am not gravely injured," she murmured hoarsely.

"They should have at least patched you up," he said angrily, cradling her in his lap like an infant.

She didn't protest, but laid her head down on his chest, placing an arm around his neck. He held her gently, reluctant to say anything that might disturb the moment.

T'Pol broke the silence. "I believe they are creating a biological weapon of some kind," she whispered into his chest.

Trip frowned. "A biological weapon? What for?"

She paused. He felt the warmth of her silent exhalation through his shirt. "I don't know," she admitted.

Just yesterday, he'd been angry with her for not telling him about their bond. Now he was cradling her in his arms, wanting to murder the bastards that had done this to her. He sighed, realizing that no matter how angry she made him with her games, he would still love her until his last dying breath.

Trip embraced her tightly. "We'll get out of here. We've been gone long enough for the Cap'n to be getting worried about us. Everything will be all right. I promise, T'Pol," he said emphatically.

T'Pol settled against him in the darkness, allowing him to comfort her, much like a trusting child would. He stroked her head, feeling the stickiness there, and wondered what they'd done to her—what they _might_ do to both of them if he wasn't right about the captain finding them soon.

Her breathing slowed and softened, paralleling his. The last thought in his mind before sleep claimed him was that if they ever got out of here, he wouldn't let her uncertainties stand in his way anymore.

***

_**Risa—Inside Shuttlepod  
January 25th, 2155—1033 hours** _

"Any luck, Lieutenant?" asked Archer.

Reed shook his head. "No, sir. Nothing unusual."

"Ensigns?"

"Nothing, sir."

Suddenly, a beeping noise echoed in the small cabin, followed by a series of clicking noises. "Sir, it's a message!" Hoshi leaned forward, listening carefully. "To put it simply… ‘Stay away…or they die.'"

"It seems we've found the commanders' captors, then," Reed said ruefully.

Archer nodded. "They could have taken them anywhere."

"Perhaps we should do as you suggested, sir, and search all of the M-Class planets in the sector," recommended Malcolm.

Archer nodded. "Sounds like a good start. You and Hoshi can work together and gather information about all of the possible planets."

Reed and Hoshi nodded. "Aye, sir."

"And while you're at it, take a look through the files containing everything we know about the Xindi. Maybe that will help us figure out what their motivations are. Why take the commanders? Why not any of us?" Archer pondered aloud.

Again, Reed and Hoshi nodded. "Yes, sir."

***

**_Yvedra VI—Regalea Compound—Holding Cell 476Alpha  
January 25th, 2155—1235 hours_ **

T'Pol winced from the sting of the cloth that was applied to her forehead, jerking away instinctively. She felt a hand grasp her arm and looked up, her gaze locking with Trip's.

"Easy now," he whispered. "If I don't clean it up, it'll get infected."

She paused and then nodded, laying her head back against his arm. "Are you injured?" she asked.

Trip smiled weakly. "It's just a bruise. You've got a more serious injury. Now quit squirmin'. I'm almost done."

She gazed at him for a moment before closing her eyes and allowing her muscles to relax.

"Trip?"

Her eyes opened and locked with his again.

"Hmm?" he replied, dabbing delicately at the wound on her forehead.

"Are you...are you still displeased with me?"

He stopped what he was doing and simply stared at her for several moments, her frankness catching him off-guard. He hadn't ever known her to seek an answer by asking such a blunt question.

"Do you want the truth?" She nodded and he sighed. "No. At first I was."

"And now?" she prompted.

He smiled. "Now I want to murder those bastards with my bare hands for what they did to you."

Her eyebrows shot up and she winced. Trip chuckled softly, unable to help himself. "It looks like you won't be doing that for a while." He stared at her for a long moment before returning his gaze to her forehead. "No matter how crazy you make me sometimes, it'd kill me if something ever happened to you."

He felt a small, warm hand cover his. Her display of affection surprised him and his gaze dropped back to hers. For a moment, a hint of a smile tugged at the corners of her lips, before quickly disappearing behind her emotionless mask. He smiled in return and squeezed her hand, brushing his lips over her knuckles before returning his attention to her injury.

***

**Enterprise— _Command Center  
January 25th, 2155—1328 hours_**

"Anything?"

Hoshi shook her head. "I don't know. This planet is composed mostly of deserts. I suppose that it would be the ideal setting for the Insectoids to set up camp."

Reed paused. "Isn't it possible that the Insectoids and the Reptilians are working together on this? I mean, they did ally with one another to destroy Earth…"

"I suppose it's possible. Either way we can rule out the parts of the M-Class planets that have cold weather at this particular time of the year. They're likely on a planet with a temperate climate and mild temperature changes."

"You don't suppose they could have set up another moon base?"

"Hmm. We should suggest that to the captain." Hoshi sighed and massaged her temples. "This is hopeless. They have technology and with it they could adapt to any climate. We need more to go on than just knowing whom we're dealing with. We need to know where Insectoids have been spotted recently. That would help narrow down our search drastically." Reed stayed silent, simply staring at her. His thoughts had been wandering toward her of late, and he found himself wondering, yet again, what intrigued him so much about her. They seemed to get along quite famously when duty didn't get in the way.

Hoshi looked in his direction and couldn't help but notice that he was staring at her. She smiled timidly, and noticed that the corners of his lips turned up as well. She thought back to the moment when she'd first met him, realizing how much he'd changed. He hadn't really smiled very much when he'd first come on board. She surmised that Trip had been a positive influence on him. Reed's long-running friendship with the chief engineer definitely seemed to have loosened him up a bit.

Looking into Malcolm's eyes, she felt suddenly very aware of herself as a woman. If she hadn't known any better, she would have sworn that he had an affectionate glint in his eyes. He really was very charming when he smiled. His gorgeous deep blue-gray eyes were perhaps his most endearing feature besides his smile. They made her think of the waves of the ocean lapping gently at the shore.

He took a step toward her and leaned forward, his face centimeters from hers. They stared into each other's eyes for a moment, exchanging nervous smiles. Reed closed the remaining distance between them, his lips barely brushing hers before the com went off, interrupting the near-kiss.

"Bloody hell," he muttered under his breath before pressing his thumb to the button on the com panel. **Reed.**

If he'd noticed Reed's disgruntled tone, Archer made no comment about it. **Have you and Hoshi made any progress, Lieutenant?**

Reed sighed. **A little, sir,** he replied, not breaking Hoshi's gaze.

**What do you have so far?**

Reed cleared his throat, turning towards the com panel. **We've eliminated two planets, sir.**

**Out of how many?**

**A fair four dozen.**

There was a pause. **Good work, Lieutenant. I'd like another progress report in an hour.**

Reed nodded. **Aye, sir. Reed out.**

The com went dead, and there were several awkward moments of silence during which Reed ran both of his hands through his hair and Hoshi clasped her hands together in front of her, staring at her feet.

"Will you have dinner with me?" Reed blurted out suddenly.

Hoshi's head snapped up. She looked at him with a startled expression before smiling nervously. "Okay."

"Really?" Reed responded, his voice an octave higher than usual. He cleared his throat and tried again. "Really?"

Hoshi laughed. "Yes, really. I…I had no idea that you…"

"That I was interested?" Reed supplied with a smile.

Hoshi nodded. "I always thought that you were interested in Commander T'Pol."

His features contorted slightly in guilt, recalling his shallow admiration of the Vulcan woman's assets. The two remained silent for a moment. "My quarters, 1930 hours?" Reed suggested.

Hoshi nodded. "Okay," she replied shyly.

Reed turned back to the console, smiling broadly. He had to fight the urge to kiss her again because, after all, they were still on duty. They would have to be discreet so as not to attract attention. With pleasant thoughts of what awaited him tonight with Hoshi foremost in his mind, he reluctantly returned to his work.

***

**Enterprise— _Archer's Ready Room  
January 25, 2155—1403 hours_**

Archer sighed as he studied the files Ensign Cook had managed to dig up from the Vulcan database. The information was close to nil. He rubbed his eyes and chuckled to himself. This whole day seemed like a plot out of an old horror movie with each twist just as tacky as the one before it. He jumped slightly when the door chime rang, straightening before clearing his throat.

"Enter," he called.

The young woman paused in the doorway. "I have something that you might like to see, sir."

She placed the data pad down on his desk. Archer gazed at it, frowning. "Have you shown this to Lieutenant Reed?"

She shook her head. "No, sir. I checked for him in the Armory, but he wasn't there. I surmised that he must have still been working with Ensign Sato. I thought it best not to interrupt."

Archer nodded. "What exactly am I looking at here, Ensign…?"

"Wyatt, sir." She then moved to stand beside him. "These are scans taken earlier this morning while you and the others were on the planet." She pointed to a little blip. "We started getting some odd sensor readings. The proximity alarm would go off and a strange object would show up on sensors, but would disappear before we could get a better picture. Lieutenant Decker told us to ignore it. But when the same readings came up later, I had Ensign Kelly and Lieutenant Carver work together to see what they could decipher from the readings."

"And this is it?" Archer asked.

Wyatt nodded. "Yes, sir. At approximately the same time you provided us with for the Commanders' kidnapping, we picked up that same signature. It's a ship, Sir. A mining ship from the comparisons we've made to ships in the database."

Archer frowned. "A mining vessel? What would a mining vessel be doing in orbit of Risa?"

Wyatt shrugged. "I don't know, sir. To my knowledge, Risa isn't participating in any mining operations."

"Then this ship could be the one that the kidnappers escaped in?"

Wyatt nodded. "Yes, sir."

Archer paused. "Confer with Mr. Reed as soon as possible. See if you can trace the ship's engine signature."

"Aye, sir," she said, then exiting the room.

Archer stared at the files on the screen and furrowed his brow. He was beginning to wonder if the message in the Shuttlepod had been staged. Something just didn't fit.

***

**_Yvedra VI—Regalea Compound—Holding Cell 476Alpha  
January 25th, 2155—2326 hours_ **

"Leave her alone, you bastards!" Trip shouted at the guards as they attempted to drag T'Pol from the closed room.

T'Pol fought them the whole way, biting the hand at her mouth and driving her elbow roughly into one man's groin. The man released her immediately, kneeling and clutching his groin and groaning in pain. The other guard bared his teeth at her. "Vulcan bitch," he spat, before slamming an open palm across her face. T'Pol winced, but kept her face turned away to prevent him from seeing her pain.

Trip leapt at her attacker, driving him against the wall, and then proceeded to hammer his fist repeatedly into the man's scrunched-up face. He was about to deliver the final blow when a hand on his arm stopped him. He turned around suddenly, only to find T'Pol looking at him with calm disapproval. Her face was stained with emerald smears and blue-green bruises, and one eye was swollen shut.

"He is unconscious, Trip," she said simply.

Trip blinked, looking down at his bloody hand, and then at the equally bloody face of the man he'd been beating. He breathed deeply, hyperventilating in his fury. His eyes locked with hers. She gave no reproof, but continued to gaze at him expectantly. His breathing slowed. "I can see that, T'Pol," he admitted grimly. "I didn't intend to just knock him unconscious." His tone was filled with righteous anger.

"Our best chance is to escape before more guards are sent to our location," T'Pol replied.

Trip reached out a hand to cup her bruised and swollen cheek, and then nodded, following her out of the cell. As they ran through the corridors the klaxons were sounding. He skidded to a halt when he saw two guards approaching, and then held out an arm to stop T'Pol from moving any further.

Abruptly, Trip _felt_ rather than heard T'Pol's voice in his head. " _On three, attack and disarm the one on the left."_

Without pausing to consider exactly how she'd done that, he nodded. Her silent voice began again.

_"One... Two... Three..."_

T'Pol leapt toward the guard on the right while Trip took on the one to the left. The battle was brief as both were desperate and had taken the guards by surprise. The commanders grabbed the weapons the guards had been carrying and made a run for it.

 _"I hope you remember how to get out of here,"_ said Trip silently as they ran, surprised at how natural this method of communication with her now seemed to be.

T'Pol's eyebrows furrowed. _"Do you not remember?"_

Trip groaned internally. _"Damn it! How in the hell are we supposed to get out of here if we don't know where the exit is?"_

 _"Make one?"_ T'Pol suggested.

Trip's eyebrows shot up. _"You've definitely been around humans too long, darlin'. You're starting to think like one."_

 _"Perhaps we should be certain that we are not on Mars Colony first,"_ T'Pol replied ironically.

Trip shook his head with a grin. _"I got a look out one of the windows after my interrogation. There's plant and animal life, so the air is most likely breathable...or at least there's an atmosphere,"_ he shot back.

The sound of an energy weapon reverberated in the hallway, and Trip instinctively grabbed T'Pol's arm, pulling her toward him just in time to escape a weapon's blast, which hit the wall they were hiding behind. T'Pol's hands were on his chest, her body in close contact with his as he held her wrists.

 _"How were you aware that they had discovered our location?"_ thought T'Pol as she gazed at him with a quizzical expression.

He smirked. _"I could hear them coming from a mile off. I'm surprised that you didn't hear them first."_

 _"Perhaps our bond allowed you to hear and recognize the sounds more immediately. I was…otherwise occupied."_ He continued to smile at her as the reason behind her distraction suddenly became clear. If they hadn't been in the middle of a battle for their lives, he would have teased her a little about her very unVulcan concern for his welfare that he had felt through the bond. She raised a brow and pulled free of his grip, raising her weapon as she peered around the wall. She quickly withdrew her head just in time to avoid another weapon's blast. _"There are at least six of them."_

_"There could be more coming."_

T'Pol nodded briskly. _"What did you see? A forest? Dense ground cover?"_

_"Yeah. We should be able to find a place to take cover until the Captain can find us."_

_"Where?"_

_"I saw it out that window,"_ Trip said, pointing across the corridor. _"Go. I'll cover you."_

T'Pol nodded. _"On three."_

_"One…two…"_

_"Three!"_

T'Pol darted across the corridor as Trip laid down cover fire behind her. She made it across and nodded to Trip. He fired as he ran, hitting three guards. _"Not bad. Let's see if we can get out of here now."_

_"I will need a few moments to modify the weapon."_

_"Then you'll need these, darlin'."_ Trip held out a hyperspanner, a pair of wirecutters, and a screwdriver. T'Pol took them, looking confused. Trip chuckled. _"I never go anywhere without them. You never know when you might need to fix something."_

T'Pol's eyebrows shot up, and she nodded her head, admiring his vigilance. _"I believe the Earth expression is ‘Hope for the best, prepare for the worst.'"_

Trip chuckled. _"Now you're gettin' it."_

T'Pol used the flat-head screwdriver to pry open the cover of the targeting sensor. She threw the screwdriver and the cover aside, and after making sure that the weapon was powered down, stripped the two wires that regulated the weapon's energy flow with the wirecutters. She twisted the two stripped wires together and set the wirecutters aside, picking up the hyperspanner.

 _"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you picked up a few of my engineering skills,"_ Trip thought teasingly.

 _"Perhaps,"_ she silently replied. He could sense her amusement through the bond. It seemed as though each new communication the two made through the bond only served now to strengthen their connection. The irony of the matter was not lost on either of them. Although T'Pol lacked Trip's instinctive gift for engineering, she had many more years of actual engineering experience than he did. The Vulcan Science Directorate had made certain of that.

T'Pol used the hyperspanner to increase the energy output of the weapon. _"We should stand clear."_

The two backed away a little so that they were still hidden behind the wall. Then she squeezed the trigger.

Debris showered around them, and Trip's hand came up to cover his eyes. When he removed it, he saw an impressively large smoking hole in the wall. Before he had time to express his admiration, T'Pol spoke silently again.

 _"We should continue moving,"_ she thought.

Trip grinned and then followed her through the opening in the wall. The two of them fled toward the forest, ducking weapon's blasts until they reached the dense growth of trees. They disappeared into the undergrowth without looking back.


End file.
